Trolley-catcher.



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Patented Feb. 26, |90I. ER.

No. 668,93I.

F. W POWERS &. M. L. SNYD (No Model.)

| I l l l l I I l l l I r WW1/wwe@ A@ m Mwhn- '5y L41? K 7%. throw/mds tlNiirnn Sterns ATENT @ri-Ion FRANCIS W. POVERS AND MARTIN L. SNYDER, OF LAFAYETTE,

' INDIANA.

TROLLEY- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,931, dated February 26, 1901.

Application iiled January 8, 1900. Serial No. 752. (No model.)

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANCIS WV. POWERS and MARTIN L. SNYDER, citizens of the United States, residing at West Lafayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Catchers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Qur invention relates to improvements in devices for catching and holding the rope of a trolley1 upon an electric car or similar vehicle; and it has for'its object to provide an apparatus which will take up all the slack in a trolley-rope and will arrest the upward movement of the trolley-pole and draw the same down to a place of safety should the roller thereon iy off of the wire, at the same time giving an alarm to the conductor or motoi-man.

Our invention consists in the novel devices hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same parts are indicated bythe same letters throughout the several views.

Figure 1 represents an elevation of our apparatus, one wall thereof, shown as being in the nature of a door, being broken away to show the interior arrangement. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section taken on the line through the box or case containing the operating` mechanism, showing parts in edge elevation and looking to the right in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged central vertical section through the case and the spring-controlled pulley mounted therein.

A represents a box or case provided with hooks A', only one of which is shown in Fig. 2, by means of which the said case may be suspended from the dashboard of a car and provided with an opening` A0 in its bottom for the reception of a stud or projection A2, which is attached to the bumper or other suitable portion of the car. The box or case A is provided with a door or lid A3, hinged at one vertical side thereof and provided With a suitable catch as at the other vertical side thereof, as shown in Fig. l. This door allows acble of a swinging movement to or from the inner side of the rear wall of the box. A push-button A5 in an electric circuit is fixed to the dashboard of the car and projects through an opening in the rear wall of the box in such position that as the hinged plate A4 is forced against the rear wall the box or electric button is caused to close an electric current through a wire, one end of which is indicated at A6 in Fig. 2. It is intended that a bell, suitably arranged upon the car in such position as to be conveniently heard by the motorman, shall also be placed in the same circuit as the push-button A5 to give an alarm when the said push-button closes the circuit, under conditions hereinafter to be explained.

In the lower portionof the box is ayielding cushion or cradle A7, (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) thel purpose of this being to break the fall of the weighted reel, as hereinafter described. Within the upper portion of the box is suspended a pivoted hook or detent AS, and upon the upper end of the box A is fixed a rigid hook A9, to which the trolleyrope may be attached when desired under some conditions. The box A may'also be provided with handles AX, by means of which it may be carried from place to placeor from one end of the car to the other. The upper wall of the case is provided with an opening at a0, which is preferably fitted with bearingrollers ct' for the cord, chain, or band C, which passes therethro ugl1,as hereinafter described. i

This cord is preferably1 provided with a hook C or othersuitable device, by means of which the cord C may be readily connected to the trolleyrope. Y

B represents a cylindrical ease, preferably of metal or other heavy material, so as to give the same suflicient weight for the purposes required, and within this case is mounted a grooved pulley B0 upon a shaft or spindle B', journaled centrally of the said case. One end of the said shaft or spindle B' is preferably squared, as at b', for the engagement of a wrench for turning the same when desired,

as hereinafter described. A coiled spring B2,

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mounted concentrically of said shaft and said pulley, has one end attached to the said shaft and the other end attached to the said pulley, the pulley being rotatable about the said shaft. Upon one face of the said pulley are mounted a series of pivoted pawls b2, the said pawls vhaving a limited throw by reason of pins b3, fixed upon the face of the pulley and engaging in slots bo in the said pawls, as seen most clearly in Fig. l. These pawls are pivoted loosely tothe pulley and will as the pulley rotates at a moderate speed fall back y and forth to the limit allowed by the pins b5 or should the pulley be rotated rapidly will by reason of centrifugal force have their points thrown outwardly toward the periphery of the pulley, as will be readily understood.

A spring-pressed pawl B3, fixed to the case B, engages a ratchet-wheel B4 on the shaft B',

asindicated by dottedlinesin Fig. l,the object of this ratchet-and-pawl arrangement being to prevent the rotation of the shaft B under the tension of the spring B2 and yet to allow the tension upon the said spring to be increased by rotation of the said shaft byI nieans of a wrench, as herein'before described, when desired. The cord C, which passes through the opening a0 in the box A, is se' cured at one end to the pulley and has several turns around the said pulley.

At a suitable point in the cylindrical wall f of the circular case Bis an opening b4, atone side of which is fixed a tlat spring b5. This opening is arranged to receive the hooked end of the pivoted detent A8, suspended from the upper wall of the box A, as seen in Figs. l and 2, and the-spring b5 is arranged to bear upon the rear of the said hook and hold the same in engagement with the wall of the case at one edge of the opening, as seen in Fig. l.

Apawl B5 is pivoted to theinner wall of the case Bin such position that its point will bear against the front side of the point of the hook A8 when the latter is in engagement with the opening b4.in the case B. This pawl B5 has a weighted rear end b5, so balanced with respect to the point thereof -that the latter will bear but slightly, if at all, upon the hook under normalconditions. This weighted end b5 of the pawl B5 is arranged in such position near the path of rotation of the pivoted pawls b2 on the said pulley that as the said pawls b2 pass the pawl B5, which is stationary when th'e pulle)7 is rotated slowly, the pawls b2 will not strike the pawl B5; but when the pawls b2 fly out ley-centrifugal force as the pulley is rapidly rotated the points of the said pawls will strike the weighted end of the pawl B5 and will cause the point of the said pawl B5 to bear upon the front side of the point of the detent A8 and cause a disengagement of the detent from the opening b4 in the case B. This disengagement of the detent A8 removes the main support from the weighted case B, and the latter, with its connections, will fall to thebottom of the box A.

The tension upon the spring should be cessati strong enough to prevent slacking or sagging of the trolley-rope, and vetI not so strong as to interfere with the proper working of the trolley. In the ordinary rising a'nd falling of the trolley pole and rope the pawls b2 will fall toward the center of the pulley as they approach the top thereof at each revolution, whether backward or forward, and will there fore pass under the weighted end of the fixed pivoted pawl B5; but if the trolley flies off the wire or from any cause rises with unusual rapidity this will cause a rapid rotation of the pulley and will cause the points of the pawls b2 to fly outward toward the periphery of the pulley to such an extent that their path of rotation will be intercepted by the weighted end b5 of the pawl B5, which, acting upon the end of the detent, causes the disengagement thereof and the falling of the weighted case B. This falling of the weighted case B draws the cord C an'd the trolley-pole down sufiicient to get the trolley-pole out of possible contact with the trolley-arms. At the time that the weighted case B falls the pivoted plate A4 is forced against the rear wall of the box A and the y push-button A5 is operated, closing the circuit through the wires A5 and ringing the bell (not shown) for giving the alarm to the motorman or conductor. The weight of the case B should be greater than the spring of the trolley-pole can support, so that it will draw down the swinging end of the trolleypole to a point of safety and will retain it in this position until r'eadjusted by the motorman or conductor. As the weighted case B falls the pulley therein is held against rotation by the engagement of the point of one of the pawls b2 with the weighted end b5 of the pawl B5, which is pivoted upon the inner side of the inclosing box A. Thus the saine action of the same pawl b2 which releases the weighted case from the detent A8 also locks the pulley against rotation. The cushion AVT in the bottom of the box A serves to break the fall of the weighted case B and prevent such a jarring as would be likely to break or injure any of the parts of the mechanism.

A pair of spring retaining devices B6 are preferably fixed in the upper portion of the box A in position to bear against opposite points on the periphery of the case B to prevent rattling of the same and to retain said case in a normal position irrespective of the lateral inclination of the car when turning a curve. To readj ust the weighted case in the upper portion of the box A, it is merely necessary to open the door A5 and raise the said case B until the detent AS engages in the upper opening therein,when it will be suspended by the said detent andthe parts will be in position for use again.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a trolley-catcher, the combination with an elongated vertical inclosing case and a swinging hook or detent suspended in the IIO upper portion thereof; of a hollow weighted case provided with means for engaging said hook or detent by means of which it may be suspended in said elongated case; a pulley mounted in said weighted case; a spring, and means for holding the same under tension connected to said pulley; a cord passing over said pulley; and means operated by the rapid rotation of said pulley for causing the disengagement of the hook from the inclosing weighted case, substantially as described.

2. In a trolleycatcher, t-he combination with a vertical elongated case, and a hook or detent suspended in its upper portion; of a hollow weighted case provided with an opening through one side for the passage of the point of said hook or detent; a spring arranged to bear on the rear of said hook or detent when in engagement with said opening in the weighted case; a spring controlled pulley journaled in said case; pivoted dogs on one face of said pulley; and a dog pivoted to the interior wall of said weighted case, said dog having one point arranged to bear upon the forward side of the said hook and arranged to be struck by one of the dogs on said pulley when the latter are caused to iiy outwardly by the rapid rotation of the pulley, and to disengage the point of said hook from the said weighted case, substantially as described.

3. In a trolley-catcher, the combination with an elongated vertical inclosing case and a swinging hook or detent suspended in the upper portion thereof; of a hollow Weighted case provided with means for engaging said hook or detent by means of which it may be suspended in said elongated case; a pulley mounted in said weighted case; a spring, and means for holding the same under tension connected to said pulley; a cord passing over said pulley; a dog pivoted to the interior of the said weighted case and arranged to engage the end of the hook or detent; and a system of pivoted dogs carried by the said pulley arranged to be thrown into position for engagement with said pivoted dog by centrifugal force due to rotation of the pulley beyond ordinary speed in the operation of the device, and thereby causing a disengagement of the hook or detent, substantially as described.

4:. In a trolley-catcher, the combination with an elongated vertical inclosing case and a swinging hook or detent suspended in the upper portion thereof; of a hollow weighted case provided with means for engaging said hook or detent by means of which it may be suspended in said elongated case; a pulley mounted in said weighted case; a spring, and means for holding the same under tension connected to said pulley; a contact device in an alarm-circuit, operated by the falling of said weighted case; and means operated by the rapid rotation of said pulley for causing the disengagement of the hook from the inclosing weighted case, substantially as described.

5. In a trolley catcher, the combination with a vertical elongated case, and a hook or detent suspended in its upper portion; of a hollow weighted case provided with an opening through one side for the passage of the point of said hook or detent; a spring arranged to bear on the rear of said hook or detent when in engagement with said opening in the Weighted case; a spring-controlled pulley journaled in said case; pivoted dogs on one face of said pulley; a dog pivoted to the interior wall of said weighted case, said dog having one point arranged to bear upon the forward side of the said hook and arranged to be struck by one of the dogs on said pulley when the latter are caused to iiy outwardly by the rapid rotation of the pulley, and to disengage the point of said hook from the said weighted case, and a contact device in an alarm-circuit, operated by the falling of said weighted case,substantially as described.

6. In a trolley-catcher, the combination with an elongated vertical inclosing case and a swinging hook or detent suspended in the upper portion thereof; of a hollow weighted case provided with means for engaging said hook or detent by means of which it may be suspended in said elongated case; a pulley mounted in said weighted case; a spring, and means for holding the same under tension connected to said pulley; a cord passing over said pulley; a dog pivoted to the interior of the said weighted case and arranged to engage the end of the hook or detent; a system of pivoted dogs carried by the said pulley arranged to be thrown into position for engagement with said pivoted dog by centrifugal force due to rotation of the pulley beyond ordinary speed in the operation of the device, and thereby causing a disengagement of the hook or detent; and a contact device in an alarm-circuit, operated by the falling of said weighted case, substantially as described.

7. ln a trolley-catcher of the character described, the combination with a weighted case, a spring-controlled pulley within said case to which the trolley-rope is connected; means for suspending said case and means for releasing the same under the rapid rotation of said pulley, and means for sounding an alarm operated by the falling of said weighted case upon being released, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS W. POWERS. MARTIN L. SNYDER.

Witnesses:

Soorr SHoBn, FRED D. SNYDER.

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